Do you like ketchup? Then you really need to try the spicy sauce made from sun-dried tomatoes. It’s my suggestion for creating a valid and tasty alternative to industrial ketchup at home. This homemade sauce is very tasty, contains no preservatives, gluten, or lactose, and is natural; furthermore, we can prepare a few extra jars and store them for a long time (like jams). Just like ketchup, the spicy sun-dried tomato sauce is suitable for accompanying and flavoring meat, fish, bruschetta, fried foods, or for filling savory panettone, savory pies, sandwiches, and so on. To fully appreciate its aromas and flavors, this preparation should be left to rest for a few days. The idea for this sauce came to me a while ago while searching online for a good homemade ketchup recipe that I found here.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 7 Days
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 10.5 oz
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons, Christmas
Ingredients
- 5.3 oz sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/2 white or golden onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk white celery
- 1/2 clove garlic (remove the inner sprout)
- 1 clove
- 1 pinch thyme
- 1 pinch dried oregano
- 1 pinch sweet paprika (or spicy for a stronger flavor)
- 1 pinch cinnamon powder
- 1.7 fl oz water
- 0.9 oz brown sugar
- 1 fl oz apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Tools
- 1 Blender / Mixer
Steps
Step 1-
Place the sun-dried tomatoes in a saucepan with water. Bring to a boil and let it boil for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes are very soft (to obtain a sauce without annoying skins on the palate).
Drain them immediately, chop them, and place them in a mixer with all the spices. Blend until a creamy, smooth, and velvety mixture is obtained. If necessary, we can strain the cream through a sieve to make it even more velvety.
Step 2-
Finely chop carrot, onion, celery, and garlic and place them in a large pot with extra virgin olive oil and sauté over low heat for about 8-10 minutes until the onion becomes transparent.
At this point, add the tomato cream, water, mix, cover, and continue cooking on the smallest burner, over low heat, for about ten minutes.
Step 3-
After the time, add the sugar and vinegar, mix well, and let the spicy sauce cook for another 10 minutes, uncovered, until it reaches a soft and creamy consistency.
If the sauce appears too thick for our taste or needs, we can, while it is still cooking, add a drizzle of oil or a few tablespoons of water (without overdoing it because it would ruin the final taste of the cream).
On the contrary, if it is too liquid, we can add 1 level teaspoon of cornstarch dissolved in a couple of tablespoons of hot water and stir until the desired thickness is achieved (in a few moments).
Place the still hot spicy sauce in already sterilized jars. Close and turn the jars upside down to create a vacuum. Store them in a cool place for at least a week before consuming; although the spicy sun-dried tomato sauce gives its best after about 3 weeks of rest.
Once opened, the spicy sun-dried tomato sauce should be stored in the fridge.
It’s advisable to use small-sized jars for preserves to avoid keeping the sauce open for too long.
